When should we raise a Change Request instead of an Incident ?

[iekosmadakis · Accepted solution]

In ServiceNow (and ITIL practices generally), there is a clear breakdown to clarify when to raise a Change Request vs. an Incident:

 

- When to raise a Change Request:

• You are planning to implement a change to the IT environment (infrastructure, applications, configurations, etc.).

• The change is pre-approved or scheduled, not a reactive fix.

• Examples:

  • Deploying a new feature or update.

  • Upgrading hardware or software.

  • Changing a network configuration.

• Goal: Prevent issues or improve services, not to restore service.

- When to raise an Incident:

• There is an unplanned interruption or degradation in an IT service.

• You need to restore normal service as quickly as possible.

• Examples:

  • Server down.

  • Application not loading.

  • Network outage.

• Goal: Restore service, not make a controlled change.

 

- Key difference:

• Incident = reactive, fix what's broken.

• Change Request = proactive, implement something new or modify.

Please consider marking my answer as helpful and accepting it as the solution if it assisted you in any way.

[iekosmadakis · Accepted solution]

In ServiceNow (and ITIL practices generally), there is a clear breakdown to clarify when to raise a Change Request vs. an Incident:

 

- When to raise a Change Request:

• You are planning to implement a change to the IT environment (infrastructure, applications, configurations, etc.).

• The change is pre-approved or scheduled, not a reactive fix.

• Examples:

  • Deploying a new feature or update.

  • Upgrading hardware or software.

  • Changing a network configuration.

• Goal: Prevent issues or improve services, not to restore service.

- When to raise an Incident:

• There is an unplanned interruption or degradation in an IT service.

• You need to restore normal service as quickly as possible.

• Examples:

  • Server down.

  • Application not loading.

  • Network outage.

• Goal: Restore service, not make a controlled change.

 

- Key difference:

• Incident = reactive, fix what's broken.

• Change Request = proactive, implement something new or modify.

Please consider marking my answer as helpful and accepting it as the solution if it assisted you in any way.

[Dr Atul G- LNG]

Hi @vaibhavshar2358 

Incident:
An Incident refers to something that is broken, degraded, or not working as expected in a service.
Examples:

• Laptop not powering on

• Internet speed is too slow

• Unable to access an application

The goal of an Incident is to restore service as quickly as possible.

---

🔹 Change:
A Change refers to a planned activity intended to introduce, modify, or remove something in a production or non-production environment.
Examples:

• Adding a new firewall

• Deploying a new server to production

• Updating configurations

Changes are managed through Change Management to reduce risk and ensure accountability.

[GlideFather]

@vaibhavshar2358 

Incident = something is broken and I want to get it fixed ASAP: investigation > resolution.

Change = replacing, adding, removing something (e.g. hardware or software update), based on its type: normal x standard x emergency - assessment, approval and planning.

Change can be created based on an incident, and Change can be a source of future incidents, it is very tight line :))

[garimakharb · Accepted solution]

In ServiceNow, a Change Request should be raised when you are planning to make a controlled and scheduled changeto the IT environment. This includes tasks like software upgrades, server maintenance, patching, or deploying new functionality.

An Incident, on the other hand, is used to report an unplanned interruption or reduction in the quality of a service, such as a system crash, application issue, or network outage.

In simple terms:

• Incident is for something that is broken or not working as expected.

• Change Request is for something that you are intentionally modifying or improving, with proper approvals and planning.

Example:

• If a website suddenly goes down — create an Incident.

• If you plan to take the website down for scheduled maintenance — create a Change Request.